In 2024 we celebrated the 14th Belfast Book Festival. Alongside bookable events, we invited folks to drop into the Crescent Arts Centre throughout the Festival to explore our beautiful building. There was an exhibition celebrating Martin Waddell, and books were available to borrow or buy from The Crescent's Little Library and No Alibis Festival Bookshop. There was poetry to read, touch and listen to throughout the building.
The Belfast Book Festival is part of The Crescent Art Centre's annual programme of activity, and over eight days there was a vibrant line-up of events and activities for adults and children in the Festival's Hub.
In 2024;
- We operated the third year of the Pay What You Decide scheme.
- Banshee Press was our Spotlight Press
- Irish PEN/PEN na hÉireann invite folk to write postcards in the cafe
- There were Festival Reading Groups, including silent ones!
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Festival highlights included an evening with Margaret Drabble, reflecting on seven decades of writing in conversation with Wendy Erskine; and Colm Tóibín discussing with Festival Patron Lucy Caldwell the writing of Long Island, the much anticipated sequel to Brooklyn. Other writers at the Festival included Sinéad Gleeson, Kevin Barry, Elaine Feeney, Martin Doyle, Louise Kennedy, Fergal Keane, Suzi Ronson, Nicola Tallant, AC Grayling and Eimear Ryan.
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There was a strong line-up of writers for children on Saturday 8 June: an audience with the inconic Jacqueline Wilson; readings with Martin Waddell alongside an exhibition celebrating his picture books; and launches of new work from Northern Ireland talent Ashling Lindsay and Colleen Larmour.
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The Festival’s poetry programme featured celebrated US poet Marie Howe; and Belfast’s Dawn Watson and Scott McKendry; and there’s a special live edition of RTÉ Sunday Miscellany with new writing from a line up that includes Jan Carson and Glenn Patterson
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The first day of the Festival opened with a focus on Professional Development including: our second Fun Fair, which was a great opportunity for writers looking for oppportunities or advance
- All activity at The Crescent and the Belfast Book Festival is collaborative endeavour. Our thanks to Festival 2024 Associates Neil Hegarty and Mícheál McCann for their insights, perspectives and ideas
- Our thanks go to all our supporters, including you! A particular nod to The Crescent’s Principal Funder The Arts Council of Northern Ireland, and investment support from Belfast City Council. It is a pleasure to work with Johns Elliot Solicitors, supporters of the Festival over a number of years, and we welcomed a second year of collaboration with The Adrian Brinkerhoff Foundation. Thanks too go to CILIP Ireland for multi-annual support of the Mairtín Crawford Awards and to partner Hastings Hotel.
A huge thank you for hosting us again at the outstanding Belfast Book Festival! We loved our time with you and had so many useful interesting and fun conversations. There are so many impressive and motivated writers engaging with what you do, and benefitting hugely - both day to day and during the Festival. It was an absolute joy to be able to join in. With every good wish and warmest thanks. Elizabeth & Johanna - The Society Of Authors
